Miraculous Weasel

by Tang Ri Shan

Alice Bourgeois, the twin sister of Chloe, grew up in New York City with her mother. But shortly after she is sent to live with her father and sister in Paris, she comes across the Weasel Miraculous, which grants her the power of transformation. She becomes the superheroine Ermine to help Ladybug and Chat Noir protect Paris, but her mission soon becomes much more...'complicated'

6. Chapter 6-Timebreaker

Miraculous Weasel CH 6

Timebreaker

A Tang Ri Shan Fanfic

Reminder: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, or any characters apart from my OC.

Enjoy!

"Woo hoo!" I cheered as I leapt over the street from one building to another, dashing across the rooftop before leaping onto the sill. From my new perch, I looked out over the world below me. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, I used my whip to lasso a gargoyle on the next building and swing across the street.

I had recently gotten into the habit of patrolling by myself as Ermine after dark before I went to bed. This had mainly stemmed from a need to distract myself from…certain feelings that kept coming up in my head, namely my crush on Chat Noir. In the week that had passed since our battle with Copycat, when I had gotten a good whiff of Chat Noir's scent, I was finding it harder and harder to get that scent off my mind. It was just so…intoxicating, and so memorable, I'd wake up in the morning and swear that Chat Noir had been in my room that night. In fact, one morning, after finding a window I had accidentally left open, I was actually convinced that had happened, until Minkk had reminded me that I had forgotten to close it after coming back from patrol the previous night.

Part of me wondered why I kept feeling this way. I knew my love was a lost one, Chat Noir had made it very clear that his heart was for Ladybug, and her alone. Every time I heard that, my heart sank a little lower, and I hated the way that made me feel. I should have been able to take a hint, so why could I not stop thinking about him? Was it because he had no interest in me? True, as the daughter of both a mayor and the director of a famous fashion magazine, I was pretty used to getting what I wanted. Luckily, I had not let this go to my head, like my sister, who had our father wrapped around her finger, but still, it was very rare that I found something I could not obtain, and for some reason that, just didn't sit well with me. It lingered in the back of my mind, like an itch that was just annoying enough for me to take notice, but was in a place that was impossible to reach.

Anyway, I had started to go on these solo patrols as a way for me to unwind, to get away from these feelings, and, for most part, it was working. Conspiracy theories about Chat Noir aside, I was usually tired enough after these routes that I would fall asleep right away and usually woke up the following morning feeling very refreshed.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I suddenly noticed that my patrol route was taking me past Agreste Manor, and I paused. Gazing at the imposing structure, I wondered how Adrien was doing. We had been pretty busy this past week, Mr. Agreste had lined up three photoshoots this week for us, the latest of which had been just yesterday. I chuckled as memories from that photoshoot surfaced in my head. This photoshoot had taken place on Ile aux Cygnes and involved a new fragrance that Mr. Agreste had been helping to develop. It was called 'First Sight', and the plot-line behind the advertisement had been a very interesting one, involving us and Adrien being 'invisible children' until we used the fragrance, which made people suddenly able to see us.

My chuckle became a giggle as I remembered Adrien's expression when he saw what we would be wearing. In order to make us 'invisible', the photographer had told the two of us to wear these skin-tight green bodysuits, complete with face-covering hoods, under our clothes, and we would be standing in front of a green screen, the same kind used in making movies. Adrien and I had looked completely ridiculous standing there in our green bodysuits, like a pair of giant, well-dressed frogs, and I was very glad none of our friends had come to watch us yesterday. I had to admit, though, when I saw the finished advertisement, I was very impressed with the quality of digital editing done by the photographer. It really looked like our skin was invisible, leaving just our clothes, which appeared to be walking around on their own.

It was kind of cool to see myself as an 'invisible girl', and I wondered if it would be possible to recreate that look for Halloween. I remembered seeing a video where someone had tried to do that using home-made costumes, and it had been very effective. I giggled at the thought of walking around school as an 'invisible girl', casually acing like nothing was wrong while freaking people out at the same time. Maybe I could get Alya and Marinette to go along and we could be invisible sisters. The thought made me giggle again. I couldn't wait to ask them!

Maybe we could even get Adrien to play along and be our 'invisible brother'. I had a feeling he would love it. As I thought this, my gaze landed on the window I knew was connected to Adrien's room. It was dark, which meant he was probably in bed already. My eyes narrowed however, as my keen eyesight saw what looked like movement in the shadows of Adrien's room. It looked small, like a bird. But, to my knowledge, Adrien didn't have a pet bird. So what…?

"HELP! HE STOLE MY PURSE!"

I looked up as a scream cut through the air, coming from the next street over. Rushing to the opposite end of the rooftop, I looked around, and quicky spotted the source, a young woman pointing at a young man, who was quickly running away from the scene, with something tucked under his arm.

My eyes narrowed, but at the same time, a small smile crept across my face. Ever since the three of us had made our debut as super-heroes, there had been a remarkable drop in Paris' overall crime rate. Occasionally however, there were reports of criminal activity, such as what was happening now. Maybe this guy thought we would be too busy dealing with Hawkmoth to notice a purse-snatcher like him. Boy, was he in for a surprise!

Gaging the distance, I started to run across the rooftop until I was over the perp. Then, I jumped, flipping gracefully and unsnapping my whip. Using the tip to lash onto a nearby light pole, I used the momentum from my jump to swing down, twirling in midair, to land right in front of the fleeing thief, who skidded to a stop when he saw me.

"Going somewhere?" I asked, giving him a sweet smile as I straightened up.

"None of yer business." The young man hissed, clutching the cream-colored purse almost protectively. I was a little surprised to hear that his accent sounded more Scottish then French. Maybe he was a visitor to the city.

"I don't think cream is your color, which means that probably isn't yours." I commented, indicating the purse. "Why don't you put that back where you found it?"

Quick as a wink, a small knife appeared in the thief's free hand. He held it up so the blade gleamed in the streetlight. "Why don't you get out of my way?" He sneered.

I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head, regarding the small knife. I snorted and looked back up into the thief's eyes as I unsnapped my whip. I saw the thief wince as the energy tail cracked against the ground, creating a small display of sparks.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked honestly before snapping my whip twice more, creating more sparks, and making the thief wince twice more.

I could see the uncertainty in the thief's eyes linger for a few moments, but his face eventually hardened, and he lunged at me with a savage cry.

Rolling my eyes, I dropped my whip handle, twisted sideways to avoid the knife, and grabbed the thief's arm with both of my hands. Still moving, I pivoted on the balls of my feet and used the leverage of my new position, combined by the momentum of thief's movement, to throw the young man over my shoulder, causing him to land hard on his back. The knife clattered to the pavement, and I kicked it away from us.

As the man groaned from the impact, his grip lessened on the purse, and I tugged it away with little effort. Straightening up, I saw the woman who had called for help rush over.

"I believe this is yours, ma'am." I said, holding the purse out.

"Oh, thank you Ermine!" The woman exclaimed, taking the purse and checking it over. "That man came out of nowhere!"

"Try to be more alert next time, okay? Now you'd better call the police before he gets away." I suggested. The woman nodded and pulled out her phone.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the thief stagger to his feet and try to run for it. Turning around, I dove forward, grabbed my dropped whip, and whirled it towards the fleeing thief. The energy tail snaked out, slithered through the air, and wrapped around the thief's ankle. Then, I yanked hard, causing the thief to trip and fall to the ground. As I made to secure the thief, I paused as a familiar figure suddenly dropped down in front of the fallen man, making him freeze in his efforts to get back up.

"Where are your manners, buddy? Don't you know it's rude to walk out on a lady?" Chat Noir said coyly as he straightened up. "Let alone two?" he added when he saw me and the woman.

I smirked as I retracted the tail of my whip, trying to ignore how my pulse had suddenly quickened at the sight of my favorite hero.

With his ankles no longer bound, the thief quickly scrambled to his feet. Attaching my weapon back to my belt, I stepped forward, as the woman began speaking into her phone.

"Your move, pal." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. Chat Noir adopted a similar posture, gazing down at the thief with an expectant expression.

The thief looked at me, then he looked at Chat Noir. Suddenly, he bolted, trying to rush past Chat Noir. Caught by surprise, my partner didn't have time to defend himself, and was knocked aside. With a loud "Oof!", he fell to the ground.

My eyes narrowed at that and I started running after the thief. He had a good head start, but I had an idea of how to fix that.

Unsnapping my whip, I took a running jump. Wrapping the end of my whip around the top of a nearby sign, I used my weapon to pull myself up and forward, until I was right behind the fleeing thief. I landed on the man's back, and kicked off with my feet, causing me to spring backwards into a graceful back roll, and, more importantly, causing the thief to lose his balance. Once again, he landed on his stomach on the hard pavement, while I landed gracefully on my feet. Not giving the man a chance this time, I stepped forward and planted my foot firmly on the man's back.

"That's 0 for 2. You wanna go for three?" I asked angrily as Chat Noir and the woman raced up to me.

"Word of advice, pal," Chat Noir added as he came to stand in front of the man, no longer smiling. "…quit while you're behind." He said, before planting his stick in the ground, in front of the man's face. I could feel the thief tense at the display. Then, after a moment, he lowered his head and raised his hands. He was giving up.

"You okay, kitty?" I asked my partner, though I didn't take my eyes off the man.

"I'm fine." Chat Noir replied. "It's mostly my pride that's bruised."

"Hey, he caught you by surprise, it could happen to anyone." I said soothingly.

Chat Noir grunted, but he didn't say anything else as the two of us retained our vigil over the thief until the police arrived a few moments later.

Once the thief was safely handcuffed in the back of a police car, and after having both the policemen and the woman thanking me for my help, I left the scene with Chat Noir right behind me.

Stopping on a nearby rooftop, I turned back to see the woman still speaking with the policeman, who was writing something down on a notepad.

"You made it look so easy, you know, dealing with that thief." I turned to see Chat Noir smiling at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

"That's because it is easy." I bragged, while trying to remain composed. "Compared to Hawkmoth, purse-snatchers like that guy are a piece of cake."

"Oh? You've delt with guys like that often?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe I should start taking notes."

I chuckled. "I've recently begun patrolling on my own before bedtime, just to unwind, you know? Sometimes I come across them. This one was the third, and probably the most desperate. The other two didn't even try to fight me, they just dropped whatever they had stolen and ran. Not that they got very far, mind you!"

Chat Noir chuckled as well. Then he turned to me. "You know, I'm actually really glad I ran into you, tonight."

"Really?" I asked, turning to look at him in surprise. Despite everything, I felt my pulse quickening again. "Why is that?"

To my surprise, Chat Noir shifted on his feet, looking a bit uneasy. "Well…I've been wanting to talk to you about something, actually."

I had to fight to keep my expression neutral, but I felt an excited tingle creep down my back, and my tail twitched in response. "I'm listening." I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Well…I…I just want to say…" Chat Noir paused, looking down awkwardly before turning away from me.

"Yes?" I asked, leaning forward a little. Behind my back, I laced my fingers together to try to keep a lid on how giddy I was feeling. Was Chat Noir about to say what I thought he was going to say?

"I…wanted to say…sorry." I blinked in surprise at Chat Noir's words.

"Sorry? For what?" I asked.

"For how I acted during the unveiling." Chat Noir said as he turned back around.

"Oh." I said, barely able to hide my disappointment. But I still felt my ears and tail droop. I had hoped that Chat Noir had been referring to something completely different.

Chat Noir, however, seemed oblivious to my display, because he kept speaking. "You were right, I was jealous of Theo's admiration of Ladybug, and my jealousy caused him to get Akumatized. If I had just controlled my feelings, none of that chaos would have happened."

I glanced up at him, surprised. This was a side of Chat Noir I hadn't seen before. There was no humor, no cockiness, he was all serious. I could tell he really meant what he was saying.

Seeing this, I felt my disappointment ebb away. "It's fine Chat Noir." I said after a moment as I put a hand on his shoulder. "Just remember, the whole 'liars are losers' thing also applies to heroes. Part of being heroes is that we should try to be as honest with ourselves, and with others, as we can…without compromising anyone's safety, of course." I added that last part to remind Chat Noir that our identities had to stay a secret, looking away so he couldn't see the regret playing on my face. We couldn't afford to give Hawkmoth any sort of edge he could use against us, otherwise, there was a good chance I would have already told him my identity.

"I'll remember." Chat Noir nodded before turning to go. "Thanks Ermine!"

As he said that, a sudden overwhelming urge overcame me. I did not want Chat Noir to leave! I felt my body turn of its own accord, my mouth flying open before I what was happening.

"Kitty, wait! I…!" I started to say, but it was too late. The cat was already gone, and I was talking to an empty rooftop. "Argh!" I groaned, clenching my fists. What had just happened? I thought I had gotten over my feelings for Chat Noir! Yet somehow, he had brought them back up again!

For a moment, I just stood there, mentally kicking myself. Then I used my whip to latch onto a lamp pole and swung back towards the hotel. My patrolling mood was gone.

---

The following morning, I was standing at the Trocadero with the rest of my classmates.

"Remind me again why we're here." Chloe demanded, tapping her foot in annoyance.

I sighed, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. "Because everyone in the class came out to watch the race between Alix and Kim, including Adrien." I explained, putting emphasis on the last word, because I knew he was the only reason Chloe was here.

"Oh, right, I knew that." Chloe huffed, but I didn't miss the small smile that graced her face at the sound of Adrien's name and chuckled. "So... when is the race starting?"

"As soon as Marinette and Alix get here." I answered.

"Marinette? What does she have to do with this?" Chloe asked.

"She's bringing a banner in support of Alix." Sabrina answered.

"Well, she'd better hurry up and get here!" Chloe demanded. "I'm gonna miss my nail appointment!"

I shook my head. "No one's making you stay Chloe. You're perfectly welcome to leave now if you want."

"And leave Adrien alone with all of you? I don't think so!" Chloe huffed, and now I did roll my eyes.

"Hey Sabrina," Alya turned around from her position in front of us. "Your dad's on the police force, right?"

"Yes." Sabrina replied, looking a little confused.

"Is it true that Ladybug foiled a robbery last night?" Alya asked, holding up her phone to record Sabrina's answer.

I looked up in surprise. What was Alya talking about? Had there been another robbery last night besides the one I had stopped?

"Well…actually it was Ermine who did most of the work." Sabrina corrected the journalist, who looked a little surprised. "According to what my father told me, Ermine stopped a man who had just snatched a woman's purse and knocked him to the ground. Then Chat Noir arrived, and the felon tried to get away, so they both detained him until the police arrived. I don't think Ladybug was even there."

"Oh." Alya said before turning away without another word.

I felt myself frown a little at Alya's behavior. Sure, her online blog was mostly dedicated to Ladybug, but would it kill her to pay a little more attention to Chat Noir and Ermine as well?

My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Marinette, who dashed up to us, with something large tucked under her arm.

"There you are!" Alya greeted her friend, causing me to chuckle. Tardiness was getting to be a classic Marinette antic.

Marinette grinned apologetically, then unfurled the banner she had been carrying, showing Alix and Kim's faces flanking a large golden trophy and a pair of crossed checkered flags. There was a running show beneath Kim's face and a roller blade underneath Alix's face.

The response from our classmates was immediate.

"Oooh, wow!"

"It's beautiful!"

"I think it's amazing!"

"Marinette does it again!" Alya crowed, causing Marinette to beam.

"Impressive, Marinette!" Adrien called, winking at Marinette, causing the girl to blush and giggle in reply.

"Seriously, Marinette. How do you find the time to complete projects like this?" I asked, walking over to get a closer look at the banner.

"Oh well, you know, I just use whatever time I can get." Marinette replied sheepishly.

"You all picked the wrong side to cheer on. Look like Alix isn't even showing up!" Kim exclaimed. "Probably too chicken to race an extreme athlete like me!"

"Ha! Spoke too soon, Kim!" Alix replied, appearing from out of nowhere. "Your ridiculous bets are over. I'm gonna leave you in the dust, meathead!" She taunted, to a chorus of cheers.

Kim just laughed at this. "You're no match for me, Alix. My neck is bigger than your thigh!"

I raised an eyebrow as several students giggled and Alya burst out laughing. "Is that a good thing?" She asked.

"In this case, probably…not." I answered with a giggle.

As Alix and Kim took their places, Max stepped forward to begin the contest. "Let's review the official rules. Two laps around the fountains, approximately 500 yards. The first one over the line's declared the victor!"

"And the stakes?" I called out, wanting to make sure everyone heard this.

Max smirked. "If Kim triumphs, Alix will relinquish her rollerblades to him. If Alix triumphs, Kim will be prohibited from making another dare for the rest of the school year."

"We're through with all of those stupid dares!" Juleka called out.

"Uh-huh, that's right!" Ivan agreed with a nod.

"No more dares!" Nathaniel chanted, pumping his fist.

As Alix and Kim knelt at the starting line, Max raised his hand to signal the start.

"On your marks, get set…"

"Hold up!" Alix said suddenly, causing Kim to fall forward on his face.

"False start!" I said jokingly as my classmates laughed.

"Forfeiting already?" Kim taunted, getting back up.

"You wish!" Alix responded before skating over to where Alya was standing. "Hold onto this for me, will you Alya? I don't wanna drop it during the race." Alix handed Alya something I couldn't quite see.

"Hold on, girl! I can't!" Alya protested. "I gotta…"

"Guard it with your life. It's a family heirloom!" Alix didn't give Alya a chance to finish before skating back to the starting line.

"Here, hold this, Marinette." Alya passed something silver and shiny to Marinette. "I've gotta record the race for my blog."

I raised an eyebrow. Alya was willing to overlook a story about Ermine stopping a thief, but was suddenly eager to record a race between two of her classmates? Maybe it was just my vanity talking, but her priorities seemed a bit…off.

"ON YOUR MARKS!" Max called out. "GET SET! GO!"

Alix and Kim took off, to cheers from the crowd, Kim running on foot, while Alix skated on her blades.

"Go Alix!" I called as Kim pulled ahead.

"B-But, she asked you to hold it. I've gotta hold the banner! EEP!" I glanced around just in time to see Marinette get yanked forward, causing her to let go of whatever she was holding.

I quickly lunged for it, but my hand just missed the object.

I winced, waiting for it to hit the ground, but just before it did, Adrien managed to catch it.

I sighed with relief as Adrien looked up at Marinette. "Need some help?" He asked with a smile.

Marinette looked frozen for a moment, then stammered "Uh…thanks! Yep, gotta be careful! Even if you are amazing!"

I bit down on my lip to cap on the laughter that threatened to escape from my mouth at Marinette's slip up. This was the funniest one yet!

"Huh?" Adrien sounded confused.

"…at holding things! In your hands!" Marinette yelped as she realized what she had just said, a blush on her face.

"LAST LAP!" Max called out.

I snorted in amusement as Adrien turned away to watch the race.

When he was distracted, I leaned over behind him.

"'Amazing at holding things?' Real smooth, Marinette." I commented, causing Marinette to blush.

"Adrikens! Whatcha got there? Some super-old case or something?" Hearing Chloe's voice, I quickly straightened up to see she and Adrien were examining Alix's heirloom.

"It looks like a pocket watch." I commented leaning forward for a closer look. Indeed it was, and despite its apparent age, it still looked like it was in pretty good condition.

"Really? Let me see." Chloe snatched it out of Adrien's hands before he could do anything and held it up in order to examine it.

I frowned. Knowing Chloe like I did, this did not bode well. "Chloe, stop it!" I ordered.

"Yeah Chloe, be careful, it's Alix's." Adrien agreed.

Chloe just huffed. "If it's Alix's it's probably worthless."

"I dunno about that." I commented. "Some family heirlooms can be very valuable to their holders."

"Valuable?" Chloe blinked, suddenly looking a lot more interested. "As in, worth a lot of money?"

Too late, I realized saying that was a mistake! "Don't get any ideas Chloe, it's not yours!" I warned.

"That's right, Chloe." We turned to see Marinette frowning at my sister. "Now give it back to Adrien or to Alice." Her gaze darted over to me, and I grinned at her.

Chloe huffed and leaned away from us to continue her examination the watch. She tapped on the lid, trying to open it, and a lot of blue light began shining from under the lid.

My eyes widened. What kind of watch could do that?

Startled, Chloe let go of the watch, causing it to fall again. She tried to grab it, but her actions only caused it to fly up and away from her. I lunged for it, my fingertips just grazing it, but all I did was cause the watch to fall onto the street and roll right into the path of Kim and Alix, who were approaching the finish line.

Alix, who was in the lead, didn't notice the watch in front of her, and ran right over it with her blades, causing it to shatter, and for everyone assembled to gasp.

"YEAH!" Alix cheered as she crossed the finish line, winning the race. She pumped her fist and spun around to bask in her victory. But when she saw what everyone was looking at, her exclamation of joy turned into one of horror.

"I call for a rematch!" Kim complained as Alix skated past him. "That false start back there completely threw me off!"

But Alix didn't seem to hear him, merely skating back and kneeling beside the remnants of her watch. With shaking hands, she gathered up the pieces, then turned to Alya, anger beginning to show on her face. "Did you do this?" She demanded.

Alya laughed nervously, not expecting to be put in the spotlight. "Um…well…I had to videotape the race so I gave it to Marinette, but then she had to hold the banner, so she gave it to Adrien, but then Chloe snatched from him and then dropped it, and then you…kinda…skated over it." She explained in a rush, before finishing with another nervous laugh.

"My old man gave me this watch for my birthday! It's totally a family heirloom!" Alix exclaimed angrily as she got to her feet again. With an angry grimace, she turned and moved away.

"It was an accident!" Marinette called after her, causing Alix to stop.

"We didn't mean any harm by it, Alix." Adrien promised.

"As if! I totally had nothing to do with this!" Chloe huffed.

"Oh, don't even try to get out of this, Chloe!" I growled. "You were the one holding it last!"

"Hey, you're the one who knocked it onto the racetrack!" Chloe argued.

"After you dropped it!" I retorted. "We told you to give it back to Adrien!"

"Shut up!" Alix was in tears. "You're all to blame!" She shouted before angrily skating away.

"Alix, wait!" Marinette called, chasing after her. After shooting Chloe another glare, I followed Marinette.

The two of us caught up with Alix at the edge of the park.

"Maybe we could fix it?" Marinette suggested.

"This watch was sick! One of a kind! It can't be fixed!" Alix growled, holding out her hands to show us the extent of the damage up close. Marinette and I both winced. The watch truly looked beyond repair.

"It looks pretty old-fashioned. You said it was an heirloom, right?" I asked, running my fingers across the broken pieces of the watch.

"Yeah, my dad just gave it to me less than an hour ago." Alix replied. "It was made by one of my ancestors and has been passed down through many generations of my family. He told me to take care of it, and what do I do? I run over it with my blades!"

"I think your father will understand." I said, trying to soothe the saddened girl. Tears were still pouring down her cheeks.

"You really think so?!" Alix spun around to glare at me, causing me to take a step back at the girl's sudden display of fury.

"Calm Down Alix, there has to be some way to get your watch back to the way it was." Marinette said.

"Like how, huh?" Alix demanded. "Going back in time and changing the future?!"

"Um…uh…" Marinette stammered, looking as surprised at Alix's outburst as I was.

"When you figure out how to do that, let me know. And you…!" Alix's glare snapped to me. "Tell your sister to keep her hands to herself from now on!" With that, Alix skated away, leaving the two of us standing there.

"Poor Alix." Said Marinette.

"You can say that again." I added.

Suddenly, Marinette's phone went off, making her jump. As she pulled it out, I glanced at the screen, and saw that it was Marinette's father calling.

"Uh oh, this can't be good!" Marinette whimpered.

"Problem?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's…nothing. I've got it under control." Marinette assured me as she answered the call, but neither her tone, nor her face, matched with her words.

Not wanting to butt into a family matter, I just shook my head in disbelief as Marinette turned away. I glanced over at Alice again, and my breath caught as I saw a familiar dark shape fluttering after the depressed girl.

An Akuma! I gasped in horror, but there was nothing I could do as the butterfly dove into one of Alix's roller blades and disappeared. A few seconds later, a black cloud began to cover Alix.

"Oh no!" I turned and began running back the way we had come, passing Marinette, who was still speaking with her father on the phone, towards the stairs. I had to find a place to transform, and quick!

I heard something behind me, and glanced back to see that Alix, now Akumatized, was chasing after me. She still had her skates, so it didn't take her long to close the gap. She reached out for me, why, I had no idea, but my gut told me that it was for a very bad reason.

Suddenly, I tripped, falling flat on my stomach. Alix sailed past me, her grasping hand just missing me. I quickly glanced up to see if she would come back around, but she simply made a right turn and began skating away. I followed her path and gasped in horror. She was heading straight towards our classmates!

Scrambling to my feet, I screamed as loud as I could; "LOOK OUT! ALIX IS AKUMATIZED!"

Everyone looked up to see Alix cackle as she skated towards them.

"RUN!" Adrien yelled, and everyone scattered.

Alix ignored the rest of the crowd, and began chasing after Kim, who was fleeing on foot. She skated by, tapping him, and with a yelp, he froze in mid-air.

"What the…?" My eyes widened as Kim started to fade away in front of our eyes.

"Alice, what are you waiting for?" I glanced down to see Minkk, my kwami, perched on my shoulder, giving me a determined look.

"Right." I nodded, as Marinette dashed past me, yelling for Alix to stop what she was doing.

Using Marinette's confrontation as a distraction, I darted behind a bush.

"Minkk, Showtime!" I said after quickly checking to make sure no one was watching.

After transforming into Ermine, I leapt out from behind the bush and used my whip to pull myself to the top of a nearby light pole.

I saw the Akumatized Alix chase after Marinette, but she threw her banner into Alix's face, causing her to trip and fall.

I chuckled as Marinette dove behind a wall, then focused as I saw Alix pull off the banner and, after glancing around, skated towards Alya.

Narrowing my eyes, I leapt off the light pole, and, while still in midair, snapped my whip towards Alix. Once it had wrapped around Alix's ankle I gave a sharp yank, causing Alix to stumble.

"Why don't you keep your hands to yourself, Alix?!" I snapped as I landed. To my dismay, Alix had not fallen as I had hoped, but had managed to stay on her skates as she turned to face me.

"Why don't you mind your own business?! And the name's Timebreaker!" Timebreaker growled as she skated towards me. She reached for me, but I darted backwards, avoiding her hands before diving to the side. As I started to rise, I saw a yo-yo fly past me and wrap around one of Timebreaker's ankles, causing the villain to lose her balance and fall flat on her face.

"Time out, Timebreaker!" I looked up to see Ladybug standing not too far away.

"Nice of you to join the party." I said as a welcome.

"Can't let you have all the fun, can I?" Ladybug sassed back at me, but she was smiling.

"Please, help me up," Timebreaker's voice caught our attention. To our horror, we saw that she was reaching towards Rose, who was hiding behind some nearby stairs. "I messed up, please, please help me!"

"O—okay." Rose came out of hiding and started towards the villain.

"NO! DON'T!" I screamed a warning, but it was too late. Rose reached out to the villain, who cackled and grabbed her wrist. A shocked look appeared on the girl's face as she froze and began to fade away.

"Hahaha! Sweet Rose, always thinking of others before herself!" Timebreaker cackled before glancing at something on her wrist. "One minute."

"We've gotta capture her Akuma before everyone disappears for good!" I commented.

"Agreed. But she's really fast. It'll be a lot easier with all three of us. Where on earth is that cat?" Ladybug grumbled as she charged towards Timebreaker, with me right behind her. Honestly, I was wondering where Chat Noir was as well, but I had faith he would get here eventually. For all I knew, he was on the other side of the city.

Timebreaker dodged Ladybug's attack, then mine. As she skated away from us, she saw Mylene up ahead. The girl gasped and tried to run, but Timebreaker quickly caught up and stole Mylene's energy as well.

"One and a half minutes. You two won't be able to stop me where I'm going!" Timebreaker crowed before turning in search of her next victim.

Before she could move, however, a metal staff appeared out of nowhere, tripping her. As she got to her feet, we saw Chat Noir standing nearby. A grin crossed my face, I knew he would make it!

"Let me guess, we're all playing a game of tag and you're it?" Chat Noir commented.

"Exactly!" Timebreaker said, lunging at the hero.

"Chat Noir, look out!" I called, my heart hammering.

"Don't let her touch you!" Ladybug warned, also looking worried.

Chat Noir dodged Timebreaker's lunge at the last second. "Missed me! Just a second too late!" He bragged, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Timebreaker growled in frustration, but then her gaze landed on Alya, who was filming the battle from behind the cover of a bush.

"Ah ha!" Timebreaker skated towards the reporter. Alya's eyes widened, and she turned to flee, but it was too late. Timebreaker caught up and tagged her, stealing Alya's energy.

"NOOO!" Ladybug cried out in horror. In the back of my mind, I wondered why Ladybug seemed more devastated by Alya being frozen than any of my other classmates? Maybe it had something to do with Alya being the creator of the Ladyblog? Regardless, I couldn't focus on that right now.

"Well, she wastes no time, does she?" Chat Noir commented bitterly.

"No, and the more people she freezes the more minutes she can travel back in time, apparently! Those poor kids, frozen in time forever…" Ladybug growled angrily. "They're goners if we don't get that Akuma!"

"Then let's go!" I shouted before chasing after Timebreaker, who was now bearing down on Ivan.

"HELP!" Ivan yelled as Timebreaker reached for him. Growling, I unsnapped my whip, but before I could to anything, Ladybug threw her yo-yo, which wrapped around one of Timebreaker's ankles and she yanked, causing Timebreaker to trip.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" Ladybug ordered.

I saw a chance to end the fight here and now. "Quick, grab her skates! The Akuma's probably in one of them!" I shouted.

"Right!" Chat Noir nodded and we charged forward.

Seeing us approaching, Timebreaker growled at us, before grasping the unbreakable string of Ladybug's Yo-yo, and pulling hard. Caught by surprise, Ladybug was pulled off her feet with a yelp. As she fell to the ground, Timebreaker quickly got to her feet. After pausing for a moment, she quickly skated towards Ladybug.

My eyes widened with alarm as I realized what Timebreaker was about to do. Automatically, I raised my whip, but I felt like I was moving in slow motion. I was not going to be able to stop Timebreaker!

Suddenly a dark blur shot past me. Before I realized what was happening, Chat Noir had thrown himself in between Timebreaker and Ladybug.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug exclaimed in alarm as Timebreaker tagged our partner, causing him to freeze.

"NOOOOOO!" I cried in horror, rushing over to embrace him as he started to fade away. "Kitty, no!" I sobbed, feeling tears come to my eyes as I gently stroked his face.

"Oh wow, six minutes in one go! Must have been those nine lives." I heard Timebreaker comment, and I clenched my fist in anger. I let out a growl and clenched my fist. Akumatized or not, Timebreaker was going to pay for what she had just done!

"Gotta go! The past is waiting!" Timebreaker turned and skated away, then paused and turned back. "Then again…as long as I'm here…!" She began skating back towards Chat Noir.

Realizing she was going for Chat Noir's Miraculous, I jumped in between them, and lashed out with my whip, causing the tail of energy to crack right in front of Timebreaker's face.

"Yeow!" She yelped, coming to a halt as she rubbed her nose.

"Don't even think about it!" I snarled, giving her the fiercest glare I could manage, snapping my whip against the ground to show just how serious I was.

"What she said!" I felt Ladybug come stand beside me, sounding just as angry as I was, whirling her yo-yo in a circle so fast it looked like a blur.

Timebreaker faltered, then a wicked grin appeared on her face. "Chill out Hawk Moth. I have a sick plan!" She said before turning and skating away from us. Bolts of electricity sparkled around her skates as she moved.

"She's going to go back in time!" Ladybug realized.

"Like heck she is!" I yelled, charging forward.

Ladybug and I readied our weapons as Timebreaker began jumping up the steps. When she reached the top, she skated off at high speed.

Ladybug and I jumped up after her, only to pause when we saw Timebreaker swing around and began skating in the other direction, moving so fast she appeared to be a blur. The very air seemed to be sparkling around her.

Acting sort of on impulse, I lashed out with my whip, just as Ladybug threw her yo-yo. Our weapons wrapped themselves around each of Timebreaker's arms, but she was moving too fast for us to stop her, so we were both pulled along the ground after her.

As I struggled to hold onto my whip, the energy that was crackling around Timebreaker's skates suddenly seemed to get more intense. Tendrils of it began snaking down my whip, and the string of Ladybug's yo-yo, and as they reached me, I felt a strange tingling sensation overcome me.

I could barely hear Ladybug crying out as Timebreaker seemed to go even faster. A vortex of energy seemed to swirl around the three of us, becoming so bright that I was forced to close my eyes and grit my teeth. The blinding light and strange roaring sound the filled my ears was making it very hard for me to maintain my grip, but something in the back of my mind told me that letting go now would be a very bad idea.

Then, just when I was on the verge of losing my grip, the light suddenly faded, and the roaring sound stopped. My whip slipped out of my grasp, and I sprawled on the pavement.

"Wh-what…just happened?" I heard Ladybug exclaim. Raising my head, I saw the heroine getting to her feet, while my whip was laying on the ground right in front of me. Shaking my head to clear the spots from my vision, I retrieved my weapon and stood up as well.

A chorus of cheers caught our attention and we scrambled to look over the edge of the wall.

My eyes widened as I saw a familiar scene unfolding below us. Kim and Alix were racing each other, and the rest of us were cheering them on.

"Oh wow, we've really gone back in time, haven't we?" Ladybug exclaimed.

"Looks that way, yeah." I nodded, amazed that this was actually happening.

"Whatcha got there?" A familiar voice caught my attention, and I saw 'Chloe' hold up 'Alix's watch.

"Careful, it's Alix's!" Adrien warned.

"My watch!" Timebreaker snarled, leaping over the wall.

"CHLOE! PUT THE WATCH DOWN!" Ladybug suddenly yelled.

Most of the audience whipped around, Chloe's eyes widened when she saw the two of us. Then, when Timebreaker landed in front of them, everyone gasped. Chloe's hand opened and the watch fell onto the stone floor, breaking apart.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Timebreaker howled. Alix came to a stop, looking horrified. Ladybug clasped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

"Great! Now we're probably gonna have two villains to deal with!" I said sarcastically, shooting Ladybug a dark look.

"Sorry." Ladybug looked embarrassed.

"Ladybug!" Timebreaker spun around to point an accusing finger at the heroine. "This time it's all your fault!"

"Everyone, get out of here! Don't let Timebreaker touch you, or you'll disappear!" I yelled. The crowd scattered, leaving 'Alix' kneeling on the ground. Suddenly, a dark cloud seemed to cover her body. I groaned as I saw my suspicions were correct when it cleared, we now had two Timebreakers on our hands.

"Looks like you were right about there being two of them." Ladybug admitted.

"Yeah, I wish I hadn't been. Let's flank them before they have a chance to get organized!" I suggested, leaping off the wall before Ladybug could argue.

I raced across the clearing and darted behind a low wall near the top of the stairs.

"Yeow! Hey!" I winced as I felt something grab my tail and give a sharp yank. I spun around to glare at…myself!

"No way!" My glare faded as I saw the surprised look on 'my' face. "Are you…?"

"You?" I finished her question. "Yes, from a few minutes in the future."

'Minkk' floated out from 'my' pocket, her eyes wide. "She's telling the truth, I can sense it!"

"I" raised an eyebrow, glancing from 'Mink' to me. "But…how did…?"

"I get here?" I finished her question again. "It's a long story and honestly, I don't have time to explain. Just hurry up and transform, we're gonna need all the help we can get."

'I' frowned and nodded before rushing away.

Meanwhile, I peeked out from cover to scan the area. On the road below, the two Timebreakers were conversing with each other, and I realized my idea wasn't going to work. Looking around for Ladybug, I spotted her speaking with 'Marinette'. For a moment, I was surprised by how similar the two of them looked, standing side by side, but the girl ran off a few seconds later, and I pushed that thought to the back of my mind as I saw Chat Noir arrive, landing next to Ladybug.

Feeling elated to see Chat Noir alive again, I rushed over to my partners. "Chat Noir! We can't explain now, but we need to capture Timebreaker's Akuma. Your life is at stake!" I said to him.

"Which one? I've got nine." Chat Noir joked, causing me to grit my teeth. While I normally enjoyed Chat Noir's humor, to an extent, the memories of his disappearing were still fresh in my mind, as were my feelings of grief.

"All of them!" I burst out, spinning around. Ignoring the surprised look on his face, I added; "Timebreaker is more dangerous than you know. The Akuma is in her roller blades. We have to capture it now!" I immediately felt guilty about snapping at him, but there was no way I was letting Chat Noir be frozen in time again.

Realizing how serious I was, Chat Noir's jokey expression melted away and he nodded.

"Come on!" Ladybug ordered, jumping off the roof to land in front of the two Timebreakers, with Chat Noir and I flanking her.

"Woah! Am I seeing double all of a sudden?" Chat Noir asked, his eyes widening at the twin villains.

"It's not just you, Chat Noir!" We glanced up to see another version of me land nearby, snapping her whip as she straightened up.

"'Bout time you showed up!" I said jokingly.

The other me smirked. "Sorry, I forgot what a time crunch you were under!" she retorted, causing me to snort in amusement.

"Woah? Since when are there two of you?" Chat Noir gasped looking from one Ermine to the other.

"Urgh! Yet another thing we don't have time to explain." Ladybug groaned.

"The energy from these four will be enough for both of us to go farther back in time!" One of the Timebreakers commented.

"Heh, I want my watch back! Let's do it!" said the other Timebreaker.

"Whatever you do, don't let either of them touch you!" Ladybug warned.

"I'd like to see them try!" 'I' growled.

The two Timebreakers lunged for us, but no matter how hard they tried, all four of us were able to stay beyond their reach.

Eventually, we found ourselves clustered near the main wall of the Trocadero, with the two Timebreakers just a few feet away. Both were panting from the exertion of trying to catch us.
"If we were faster, those bozos would be no match for us." One of the villains suggested.

"Then let's stock up on more energy first. Then, we'll destroy them!" The other villain agreed, and the two began to stake away from us.

"After them!" Ladybug ordered. The four of us charged after the fleeing villains.

Despite our best efforts, the two villains were able to absorb the energy of several fleeing people, which made me grit my teeth. No way were we going to let Timebreaker go back in time again. we needed to stop the both of them here and now!

Suddenly the two Timebreakers did a 180 on their skates and came zooming right at us, causing us to skid to a stop.

"Um, I thought we were supposed to be chasing them!" Chat Noir commented.

"They must be stocked up enough!" I realized.

"Look out!" The other me cried as the two villains lunged at us, much more quickly this time. There was no time to run, the two villains were on us in an instant.

A yo-yo suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wrapping around the feet of the Timebreakers, causing them to lose control and crash.

"Hey! You four need a hand?" We looked up to see a second Ladybug perched on top of a nearby pillar, recalling her Yo-yo before jumping down to join us.

"Thanks!" Ladybug said.

"Uh…uh?" Chat Noir stammered, looking from one Ladybug to another.

I shook my head and looked away, tensing as I saw the Timebreakers getting on their feet again.

"They're insane on their rollerblades." I commented.

"And unstoppable on the ground." Ladybug added.

"So…what if they were not on the ground?" 'Ladybug' suggested.

"Makes sense." 'I' nodded. "If we can stop them from moving, it'll be easier for us to get their akumas and harder for them to tag any of us."

"Two Ladybugs? I'm in heaven!" Chat Noir suddenly exclaimed joyously, clasping his hands together and causing all four of us to roll our eyes.

"Focus Kitty!" Both 'Ermine' and I snapped angrily, making him jump. He grinned apologetically at us, laughing nervously.

The two Timebreakers suddenly skated away from us.

"They're planning to go back in time again!" Both Ladybugs said simultaneously. "LUCKY CHARM!" The two heroines both activated their powers. Two swarms of Ladybugs flew out of their yo-yos and formed…a bicycle lock and a traffic cone?

I raised an eyebrow as the two Ladybugs caught their items. "Any ideas?" They asked, looking at us.

"While you two figure it out, the three of us better try to buy some time." Chat Noir suggested, glancing at 'Ermine' and me.

"Right," The both of us nodded before activating our own power. "ANIMORPHIX!"

A white glow surrounded the both of us as we activated our abilities. As the light grew blinding, I felt my limbs begin to reposition, my fingers and toes shrank and hardened. My neck grew longer, as did my nose and lips.

As the light cleared, the both of us looked each other over.

"You're an antelope." Said 'Ermine'.

"And you're an ostrich." I replied. "How can we…?"

"Figure it out later, the Timebreakers are getting away!" Chat Noir said, rushing past the two of us.

Realizing he was right, the two of us chased after Chat Noir. Thanks to our newfound speed, we easily outpaced Chat Noir and caught up with the Timebreakers.

"Let's flank them from both sides!" I called.

"Works for me!" 'Ermine' replied.

I lowered my head and charged at one of the Timebreakers, while the other Ermine snapped at the other one with her ostrich beak. As we hoped, the Timebreakers each moved away from us, which caused them to collide with each other. With cries of surprise, they tumbled to the ground.

"Aww, did you both fall down and go 'boom'?" I teased as we overshot them and turned back around to face them.

"Ha ha! Not so insane on those blades anymore, are we?" "I" taunted.

"Keep at it you two, I've got an idea!" Chat Noir called before he ran off. The two of us moved to stand between the two villains and the street.

The Timebreakers got to their feet, glaring at us. On some silent signal, they both charged at us.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" I tuned to the other me.

"Naturally." 'I' nodded and we both took off in different directions.

"Hey Timebreakers, over here!" I called, shaking my antelope tail at them in a taunting gesture. As I planned, the villains focused on me, racing up to me, reaching out for me, but at the last second, I jinked, taking advantage of my antelope agility, and danced out of their reach.

"Whoops! Missed me!" I taunted as they shot past me.

The Timebreakers glared at me and made a large turn to come after me again. I pawed the ground with my hooves, staring them down.

"AAK!" I paused as I heard the other me cry out and I turned to see her stumble and fall. As the Timebreakers glanced at the other me, I felt my muscles tighten. Was 'I' okay?"

"Oh no! I've fallen and I can't get up!" 'I' cried in a dramatic voice, throwing 'my' head back theatrically as 'I' spoke.

I chuckled as I realized that 'I' was just pretending to be hurt.

"And we'll make sure you never get up!" One of the Timebreakers promised before both began racing towards the other me.

"Ha! Kidding!" 'I' crowed jumping to 'my' feet and racing away, missing their grasping hands.

"Arrgh!" One of the Timebreakers groaned in annoyance.

"Coming through, slowpokes!"' I called as I galloped by, directly in front of the Timebreakers, startling them and causing them to almost lose their balance.

"Betcha can't catch me!" The other me taunted, shaking her tail feathers at them before running off. Not to be outdone, I stuck my tongue out at them as I ran.

"RRRGH! SPLIT UP!" I heard both Timebreakers yell and I glanced back to see that one of the villains was on my tail, while the other was chasing after the other me. Dodging a wild lunge by the one chasing me, I made eye contact with the other me, and we both smirked, each having thought of the same plan.

"What's the matter, Timebreaker? Too fast for ya?!" 'I' taunted as 'I' skipped around in front of her Timebreaker.

"I'm gonna get you!" The villain growled.

"Ha! You call that speed?!" I taunted the Timebreaker chasing me. "I've seen watches run quicker than you can move on those skates!"

"AAAARGHH!" Timebreaker roared angrily and sped up, snatching at my antelope tail.

"Nyahh Nyahh!" I jeered, while at the same time altering my course so I was running, or should I say, skipping, towards the other me.

"Nyahh, Nyahh!" I heard the other me taunt the other Timebreaker, as she began running directly at me, her tail feathers shaking as a lure.

"Nyahh, Nyahh!" We teased at the same time, making sure that our respective villains were still on our respective tails.

Just when the two of us were about to meet, we each shouted "Now!" and jinked, I went right, the other me went left.

"Huh? AAAAAH!" The two Timebreakers yelled as they realized they were on a collision course. Before either could do anything, they slammed into each other again and fell to the ground.

"Ha ha ha! This is so much fun!" "I" chortled as the two of us came to a stop a few feet away.

"I know! We're running circles around these snails!" I added, laughing at the two Timebreakers, who were slowly getting up again. They glared at us, then both froze, their expressions going blank. This lasted only for a second before they turned and started to skate away towards the street.

"Hey! Get back here!" The two of us shouted as we chased after the Timebreakers.

"CATACLYSM!" We heard Chat Noir suddenly call out. Cracks appeared in a tall pillar up ahead. The structure collapsed, spreading rubble across the street, blocking the way ahead.

"Yes!" I hissed under my breath as the Timebreakers were forced to turn around, but my joy evaporated when I realized that they were now coming straight at us!

"Dive!" 'I' yelped, and I darted to the right while she dove to the left. I heard the Timebreakers zoom past us, and glanced up, expecting to see the villains come around again. To my shock, I saw that they were continuing to go straight, and heading towards one of the Ladybugs!

"Ladybug, look out!" The other me called out in warning.

"Don't worry! We've got this!" Ladybug called to us. As the Timebreakers reached for her, she bent over backwards, avoiding their outstretched hands. I then saw that she was holding the bicycle lock in her hands. As the Timebreakers went past her, she wrapped the lock around two of their legs, essentially tying the two of them together.

"Huh, looks like they really have!" I commented as I saw the Timebreakers were now heading towards the second Ladybug, who was standing near a makeshift ramp made up of the traffic cone and an ice cream sign.

The Timebreakers, unable to stop due to their speed, and the fact they were locked together, cried out in alarm as they hit the ramp and zoomed up it. As the Timebreakers were launched into their air, the two Ladybugs used their yo-yos to catch two of their skates and yank them off. "No more evildoing for you, little Akuma!" Both Ladybugs shouted as they broke the roller skates. Two black butterflies flew out. "Time to de-evilize!" Each Ladybug captured one of the Akumas in her yo-yo, purifying it before releasing them.

"And I thought it was dramatic when just one of them said all that." I muttered.

"I know, right?" 'I' agreed. "Totally over the top!"

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUGS!" The two Ladybugs threw their Lucky Charm objects into the air, which exploded into twin swarms of ladybugs that flew around, restoring the people the Timebreakers had touched.

Suspecting what was about to happen, I turned to my twin. "You know, I have to say, I never thought I'd one day be beside myself, literally." I said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I hear you, literally!" 'I' replied with a laugh. "I mean, how many people can truly say they've actually talked to themselves?!" This comment made the both of us laugh.

Seeing the swarms making their way towards us, 'I' gave me a wink. "Until next time?"

I chuckled and returned the wink. "Until next time!" I said just before the two swarms separated us.

As the ladybugs swirled around me, a bright white light emanated from my body, and I closed my eyes, realizing my power had reached its time limit. Soon enough, when the ladybugs cleared and I opened my eyes, my twin was gone, and I was back in human form.

"Woah." I said, blinking a few times as I raised my hand to my head, feeling the memories from both of 'me' surface in my head. That was one of the weirdest experiences I had ever been a part of.

Glancing around, I saw that everything was back to normal, there was no trace of the battle, or of the trip through time. I spotted Alix's pocket watch lying nearby, fully repaired, and picked it up.

Seeing Ladybug helping Alix to her feet nearby, I hurried over to the both of them.

"I believe this is yours." I said, smiling as I held the watch out to Alix.

Alix's face lit up when she saw it. "Sweet! How'd you fix it?"

"You wanna answer that one, Ladybug?" I asked, looking at my partner.

"That would be a trade secret." Ladybug joked. "The important thing is that you got it back."

Alix nodded. "Thanks Ladybug! I should never have given it to someone else to look after. It was my responsibility to care for it. My bad."

"Responsibility isn't something to be taken lightly." Ladybug agreed, before winking at me. "We should know, right?"

I nodded. "Oh yes, definitely."

"You're totally right. I'll be more careful next time for sure. Thanks Ladybug. Thanks Ermine." Alix agreed.

"What, don't I get a thank you?" Chat Noir pouted as he joined us.

Ladybug and I giggled at this, before I leaned over. "Of course, you do." I said, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Chat Noir." I said in a flirty voice before dinging the bell on his collar.

Ladybug and Alix giggled as Chat Noir blushed a little.

"Anyway, I gotta go! Thanks again!" Alix said before skating away with a wave.

"You know it's a real shame. I was just getting used to having two Ladybugs around." Chat Noir commented.

Ladybug chuckled at this. "Well, now you're gonna have to get used to having no Ladybugs around. Gotta split before I change back." She swung away from the two of us.

"She'll fall for me someday. It's just a matter of time." Chat Noir said longingly as he watched Ladybug take off.

My shoulders slumped at those words. Hearing them always ruined whatever mood I was in, regardless of how much I tried to ignore them. It hurt even more this time, though, because I had just given him a peck on the cheek, and he was acting like that had never happened.

"Ermine, are you okay?" I jumped as Chat Noir suddenly waved his hand in front of my face.

"What? Oh, yeah, I was just…thinking about…something." I stammered, feeling my cheeks heat up and hoped my blushing wasn't visible.

My Miraculous suddenly beeped, along with Chat Noir's.

"Well, that's my cue." I said, shaking off my depression as I snapped my whip around a nearby light fixture. "See you around, kitty!" I said with a wink, before making to swing away.

"WAIT!" I froze as Chat Noir grabbed my wrist.

"What?" I turned around, my eyes wide.

"I…I was wondering. Are you going on patrol again tonight?" Chat Noir asked.

I paused, not quite sure what he was getting at. "Probably, why?"

"Would you…like some company?"

My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. Chat Noir was offering to join me on my nightly patrols? I suddenly felt almost giddy.

"Um…sure." I stammered, my mind still reeling. My Miraculous beeped again, distracting me for a moment. When I looked back up, Chat Noir was gazing at me expectantly.

"Um…." I paused, trying to overcome my giddiness enough to come up with a plan, and look professional enough to not unnerve him. "Let's meet at the top of the Eiffel Tower, say…around 9 pm?" I finally offered.

"It's a date. See you then!" Chat Nor winked at me before running off.

"A date…" I parroted, sounding as dazed as I felt.

My Miraculous going off again shook me out of my daze and I cursed as I realized I was probably seconds away from transforming back. I swung away from the scene before I could waste any more time.

---

After I had transformed back into Alice, I regrouped with everyone else to watch the race. Alix won, no real surprise, and Kim begrudgingly agreed to stop his dares, but warned that once the school year was over, he would have free reign to start up again, which made everyone groan.

After the race, everyone left. Marinette literally took off running, saying she had a family matter to attend to.

Chloe, Sabrina, and I were walking over to the next block, where Pierre was going to pick us up and drop Chloe off at her nail appointment. As we walked, I saw Sabrina checking something on her phone.

"Sabrina? What are you looking for?" I asked.

"I overheard my father on the phone earlier this morning. Someone was at the station this morning, asking questions about what had happened last night. I think it was…aha!" Sabrina cried triumphantly and held out her phone for us to see.

I leaned in, squinting to see what it was. It appeared to be a news blog, and splashed across it was a picture, of Ermine!

"What?" I blinked as I stopped walking. "What site is that?"

Sabrina gave me the site name, and I immediately pulled my phone out. Typing in the web address, the same picture soon appeared on my phone screen, a picture of Ermine taken from below, showing her in mid-leap against a star-studded sky.

I raised an eyebrow as I started walking again, to keep up with Chloe and Sabrina, who were talking about something I couldn't quite hear. I didn't remember anyone taking my picture while I was on patrol. But, then again, I had had a lot on my mind these last few nights. Maybe I just hadn't noticed the photographer.

Below the picture was a headline caption:

'A guardian in white, on a dark Paris night!'

Below that was a short article from a reporter about how I had taken to patrolling the city in the late evenings, and how that may be connected to the drop in crime that Paris had been experiencing. There were quotes from several people, including, to my surprise, one from the woman whose purse I had recovered last night.

"I am very grateful to Ermine for recovering my purse. It is so comforting to know that these heroes are focusing on more than just the big criminals, like Hawkmoth. They haven't forgotten about the little people, like us." The woman was quoted as saying.

I smiled warmly at the woman's comment. Honestly, these patrols were more of a way for me to let off steam, then to protect citizens, but it looked like I was going to be doing both from now on.

I chuckled a little as I read farther down and saw a quote from Sabrina's father.

"There is no hard evidence connecting these 'patrols' that Ermine is doing to the drop in crime that Paris has recently begun to enjoy. Personally, I would like to think it's due to the hard work demonstrated by the men and women of Paris's law enforcement."

However, it looked like Officer Roger seemed to be the only person thinking that way, as all the other quotes were from people who I had helped in my patrols, or who had seen me in action, and they were all praising me for my efforts in helping to keep Paris safe.

"Hey Sabrina, did you see that your dad is mentioned in this article?" I asked, after I had finished reading.

"Really?" Sabrina's eyes widened and she quickly pulled the site back up on her phone. "Oh!" She exclaimed when she saw her father's name on the site, but her expression faded a little as she kept reading.

"Something wrong?" I asked, noticing the change in her mood.

"Honestly, I think my father might be a little jealous of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Ermine." Sabrina admitted as she put her phone away. "He's always talking negatively about them, especially Ermine."

I winced a little at that. Luckily, Sabrina didn't seem to notice. "Really? Why would he think that way?" I asked, pretending to look interested.

"Well, Ermine keeps challenging him, or so he says, that's why he doesn't particularly like her." Sabrina added, and I had to bite my lip to keep my curious expression on my face. "But he thinks all three of them are underage and have no business taking on villains like Hawkmoth."

"Maybe he's just…afraid that these heroes are making the police look bad." I offered lamely, while mentally promising to be nicer to Officer Roger the next time I saw him.

Sabrina shrugged. "Hmm, maybe. But I think my father may grow to like these heroes eventually. I know I have!" I chuckled at Sabrina's happy musical tone, and by the way she twirled on the spot as she spoke.

"Hey!" We looked up to see Chloe standing by the limo, giving us a dark look. "Are you two coming or what?"

"Oh, yes Chloe! Right away!" Sabrina called and rushed over to her. I rolled my eyes, but also took off. I didn't want to be left behind.

As I got into the limo, I couldn't help but smile. Things were starting to look up for me. Alya may not have been willing to give me the recognition that I may have deserved, but she was not the only news source in Paris, and this one looked like an international site, which meant probably even more people would see it than they would have if the story had been on Alya's blog, so that made me feel pretty good.

Unable to help myself, I forwarded the site address to Alya in a text, under the heading; 'Look what I found!'. I know I was kind of rubbing it in her face, but Alya's blog was mentioned in the article, so, if anything, she couldn't feel too bad about it, because she was getting free advertising for her blog, right?

As for Chat Noir, he may not be returning my romantic feelings now, but he wanted to go on patrol with me, without Ladybug, so that was a start. I could build upon that.

Chat Noir may be smitten by Ladybug for the moment, but Ladybug didn't seem to return his affections. At least, as far as I could see. Eventually, Chat Noir would realize this, and that was when I would be able to make my move. In the meantime, I could wait. I could build on our friendship, be someone he could turn to if he needed help, someone who would care about him enough to put his needs before mine, just like how Chat Noir had sacrificed himself to Timebreaker's power in order to protect Ladybug.

Yes, that seemed like a good plan, I'd earn Chat Noir's trust first, then see if I could earn his affections.

---

And Cut!

Another chapter done! As always, thank you to Draconos 13 for beta-reading. I swear, this person must write for a living, they is so good at picking up my grammatical errors!

And thanks to Dyna-man for your support. You are one of the reasons why I keep updating my stories!

And a shout out to Starlog 246 for their shout out. Glad you are enjoying my work!

Honestly, I struggled a little with this chapter, as Timebreaker was not one of my favorite episodes of the first season, so I decided to add an additional plot-line to the episode, Ermine's nightly patrols, and how she plans to deal with her affections for Chat Noir. It's basically filler, but I like it, as it helps to connect my chapters together. Let me know if you agree and be sure to leave your opinions and/or comments in the review section!

The interaction between the two Ermines was based on an idea by Draconos 13 and was really fun to write!

FYI, I have been giving strong thought about adding a Halloween-based chapter to this story. Remember how the Miraculous Halloween episode got cancelled? I may be writing my own version. If I do, it will probably be sometime in the first season chapters, so keep your eyes open and let me know what you would like to see in that chapter. I'd be happy to try and accommodate any specific requests you might have (I get final say though, just making that clear)!

Until Next Time!